Footwear with charcoal systems

ABSTRACT

A footwear with charcoal system includes a footwear garment assembly having a sole, an inner layer, an outer layer forming an outsole and an upper; a middle layer; and at least one liner and/or the insole comprising active charcoal. The foot garment and the liner comprising the charcoal in combination form the footwear garment assembly useful for minimizing odors and moisture released from the foot during active use and promoting good health of the foot. Further, the footwear with charcoal system serves to reduce exposure to bacteria and fungi on the foot; foot garment may include shoes, boots, sandals, slippers, sneakers, skates. The liner wraps around the foot of a wearer thereby creating a large surface area of coverage of the charcoal, and is removably-fastened via at least one fastener to the foot and the foot garment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is related to and claims priority from priorprovisional application Ser. No. 61/705,710, filed Oct. 10, 2012 whichapplication is incorporated herein by reference.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever. 37 CFR 1.71(d).

The following includes information that may be useful in understandingthe present invention(s). It is not an admission that any of theinformation provided herein is prior art, or material, to the presentlydescribed or claimed inventions, or that any publication or documentthat is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the field of footwear andmore specifically relates to footwear with charcoal.

2. Description of the Related Art

Footwear comprises garments worn on the feet, for fashion, protectionagainst the environment, and adornment. Footwear may include varioustypes of shoes, boots, sandals, slippers, sneakers, skates, and thelike. Shoes and boots are intended to protect and comfort the human footwhile doing various activities. Shoes and boots may be used for work orfor fashion. Sandals and slippers are often worn for leisure. Athleticshoes include sneakers and skates. Many types of footwear may causediscomfort to wearers. Footwear generally is not traditionallymulti-purpose in design. Unfortunately, footwear, especially athleticshoes and heavy boots, can quickly become odorous and sweaty. This cancause bacteria and fungi to grow around the foot. Some people may wearinsoles, but the insoles normally only protect the bottom of the foot.

Charcoal is dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remainingash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents fromanimal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slowpyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence ofoxygen. It is usually an impure form of carbon as it contains ash;however, sugar charcoal is among the purest forms of carbon readilyavailable, particularly if it is not made by heating but by adehydration reaction with sulfuric acid to minimize introducing newimpurities, as impurities can be removed from the sugar in advance. Theresulting soft, brittle, lightweight, black, porous material resemblescoal. Charcoal can be used to remove odors. A convenient means by whichcharcoal can be introduced to human feet is desirable.

Various attempts have been made to solve the above-mentioned problemssuch as those found in U.S. Pat. and Pub. Nos. 5,117,566; 7,254,903;5,996,250; 5,499,459; 2005/0262727; and 8,099,881. This art isrepresentative of footwear. None of the above inventions and patents,taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the inventionas claimed.

Ideally, footwear with charcoal system should enable a wearer to controltheir foot odor and sweat, which can reduce the foot's exposure tobacteria and fungi and, yet would operate reliably and be manufacturedat a modest expense. Thus, a need exists for a reliable footwear withcharcoal system to avoid the above-mentioned problems, one that may beworn on the feet of human wearers with ease over a duration.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known footwearart, the present invention provides a novel footwear with charcoalsystem. The general purpose of the present invention, which will bedescribed subsequently in greater detail is to provide a footwear withcharcoal system to enable a wearer to control their foot odor and sweat,which can reduce bacteria and fungi affecting the feet.

The present invention provides people with a line of footwear featuringimbedded, activated charcoal that surrounds the foot. The presentinvention controls foot odor and absorbs excessive moisture from sweatand limits bacterial and fungi growth while eliminating the use ofinsoles, which may not cover the entire foot. Footwear with Charcoal canbe offered in various types of footwear, including shoes, boots,slippers, sandals, sneakers and skates.

A footwear with charcoal system is disclosed herein, in a preferredembodiment, comprising: a footwear garment assembly having a sole, aninner layer, an outer layer forming an outsole and an upper; a middlelayer; and at least one liner comprising active charcoal. The innerlayer, the outer layer, and the middle layer in combination form a footgarment for wear. The sole provides cushioning for a foot when wearingthe foot garment. The inner layer is located adjacent the foot of awearer when the foot garment is worn. The foot garment and the linercomprising the charcoal in combination form the footwear garmentassembly useful for minimizing odors and moisture released from the footduring active use and promoting good health of the foot. Additionally,the footwear with charcoal system further serves to reduce exposure tobacteria and fungi on the foot. The foot garment comprises at least one(pair of) shoe(s).

In preferred embodiments the liner wraps around the foot of a wearerthereby creating a large surface area of coverage of the charcoal, andis removably-fastenable via at least one fastener to the foot and thefoot garment. The liner is replaceable and disposable, thus eliminatingthe need for the wearer to don socks. The liner comprises naturalmaterials. The natural material is selected from the group consisting ofcotton, linen, wool, leather, and rubber. The fastener comprises atleast one adhesive or other suitable fastening means such as snaps,clips or the like. The adhesive, when used, comprises at least onepeel-away protective sheet to protect the adhesive when not in-use.Versions with both a removable liner with charcoal and footwear withcharcoal embedded may be combined for additional protection.

A method of use for footwear with charcoal system is also disclosedherein preferably comprising the steps of: locating at least onere-usable liner comprising active charcoal; wrapping the re-useableliner around a foot of a wearer; fastening the re-useable liner aroundthe foot of the wearer; inserting the foot into the footwear; wearing atleast one foot garment, each of the foot garment(s) comprising a footgarment assembly having the liner comprising the active charcoal toreduce exposure to bacteria and fungi on the foot; removing the footgarment(s) after a wearer-defined duration; and un-fastening the linercomprising active charcoal from the foot after the wearer-definedduration.

The present invention holds significant improvements and serves as afootwear with charcoal system. For purposes of summarizing theinvention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of theinvention have been described herein. It is to be understood that notnecessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with anyone particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may beembodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes oneadvantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarilyachieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. Thefeatures of the invention which are believed to be novel areparticularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concludingportion of the specification. These and other features, aspects, andadvantages of the present invention will become better understood withreference to the following drawings and detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figures which accompany the written portion of this specificationillustrate embodiments and method(s) of use for the present invention,footwear with charcoal system, constructed and operative according tothe teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view illustrating a footwear with charcoalsystem in an in-use condition according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an item of footwear (a shoe)of footwear with charcoal system according to an embodiment of thepresent invention of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a charcoal inner liner for usein conjunction with the foot garment of the footwear with charcoalsystem according to an embodiment of the present invention of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating other possible embodiments ofthe footwear with charcoal system (shoes, boots, sandals, slippers,sneakers, skates, and the like) according to an embodiment of thepresent invention of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of use for the footwear withcharcoal system according to an embodiment of the present invention ofFIGS. 1-4.

The various embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter bedescribed in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein likedesignations denote like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As discussed above, embodiments of the present invention relate to afootwear device and more particularly to a footwear with charcoal systemto enable a wearer to control their foot odor and sweat, which canreduce the foot's exposure to bacteria and fungi.

Generally speaking, the Footwear with Charcoal of the present inventionmay comprise a line of footwear, including shoes, boots, sandals,slippers, sneakers, skates and virtually any other type of shoe, with animbedded liner of activated charcoal. The charcoal may be imbedded inthe inner linings of the footwear, which can be made of natural andsynthetic materials, the natural materials may include cotton, linen,wool, leather, rubber, etc., and the synthetic materials may includeplastic, polyester, nylon, latex, silicone gel, etc. For the re-useableform, the charcoal lining is non-removable and held within the innerlinings of the footwear, and/or the insoles of the footwear. The wholefoot is wrapped via the charcoal lining, creating a large surface areaof charcoal coverage, so it is more effective in controlling foot odors,absorbing excess moisture from sweat, and limiting bacterial and fungigrowth. The footwear may be offered in a variety of designs, styles, andtypes, depending on user preference. The exact specifications may varyupon manufacturing. Footwear with charcoal is for better hygiene andsanitation purposes. It keeps the foot fresh, dry, and comfortable whileenabling better performance of the athlete.

Referring now to the drawings more specifically by numerals of referencethere is shown in FIGS. 1-4 perspective views illustrating footwear withcharcoal system 100 in an in-use condition 106 and various foot garments180 having at least one liner 150 comprising charcoal 154 that may beemployed for use with the present invention.

Footwear with charcoal system 100 comprises at least one footweargarment assembly 110 having sole 116, inner layer 122, outer layer 130forming outsole 134 and upper inner layer 138; middle layer 142(respectively from inside to outside of foot garment 180); and at leastone liner 150 comprising active charcoal 164. Inner layer 122, outerlayer 130, and middle layer 142 in combination form foot garment 180 forwear. More layers may be used if desired. Inner layer 122 is locatedadjacent foot 194 of wearer 190 when the foot garment 180 is worn. Sole116 provides cushioning for foot 194 when wearing foot garment 180. Footgarment 180 preferably comprises at least one (pair of) shoe(s) 182.

Foot garment 180 and liner 150 preferably comprise charcoal 154 inactive form in combination to form footwear garment assembly 102 usefulfor minimizing odors and moisture released from foot 194 during activeuse and thereby promoting good health of foot 194. Further, footwearwith charcoal system 100 serves to reduce exposure to bacteria and fungion foot 194 as an unfriendly environment is created wherein moisture isnot present over an extended duration.

Liner 150 in certain embodiments preferably wraps around foot 194 ofwearer 190 thereby creating a large surface area of coverage of charcoal154, and is removably-fastened via at least one fastener 160 to foot 194and foot garment 180. Further, liner 150 is replaceable and disposable,thus eliminating the need for wearer 190 to don socks. Other versionsmay be attached to shoe(s) 182. Other versions may have embedded activecharcoal 164 in foot garment 180.

Fastener 160 may comprise at least one adhesive 170. Adhesive 170 maycomprise a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA). Other fastening means maybe used including other adhesives, non-adhesives, static electricity(cling) means, mechanical fasteners for securing liner 150 around foot194 of wearer 190 and the like.

The at least one adhesive 170 in certain embodiments is able to beexposed via removing at one protective peel-away sheet 172. Protectivepeel-away sheet 172 preferably covers adhesive 170 serving to protectadhesive 170 until ready for use when employing footwear with charcoalsystem 100 around foot 194 of wearer 190. Further, protective peel-awaysheet 172 may comprise an optional tab (not shown) for ease of use. Thetab may provide a finger engageable portion whereby wearer 190 may graspprotective peel-away sheet 172 to remove protective peel-away sheet 172from adhesive 170 on footwear with charcoal system 100.

Further, in an alternate embodiment, liner 150 may be re-useable. Whenliner 150 is re-useable, liner 150 is able to be securely attached toinner layer 122 of footwear assembly 102. In the re-usable form of liner150, fastener 160 comprises at least one hook and loop fastener system.Upon reading this specification, it should be appreciated that, underappropriate circumstances, considering such issues as user preferences,design preference, structural requirements, marketing preferences, cost,available materials, technological advances, etc., other fastenerarrangements such as, for example, buttons, snaps, clips, etc., may besufficient.

Liner 150 may comprise both natural and synthetic materials. The naturalmaterials are preferably selected from the group consisting of cotton,linen, wool, leather, and rubber; while the synthetic materials areselected from the group consisting of plastic, polyester, nylon, latex,and silicone gel.

Foot garment(s) 180 may comprise shoe(s) 182; boot(s) 184; sandal(s)186; skates 188 (various versions thereof) and other footwear items.Foot garment 180 material may be selected from the group consisting ofnatural fabrics, such as cotton, linen, wool, down, and rubber, as wellas synthetic fabrics, such as polyester and nylon. Other fabrics andmaterials may be used within the scope of the present invention.

Footwear with charcoal system 100 may be sold as kit 440 including footgarment(s) 180 for comprising a footwear-line including: at least one(pair of) shoe(s) 182; at least one (pair of) boot(s) 184; at least one(pair of) sandal(s) 186; at least one (pair of) skates (s) 188; and aplurality of liners 150 both re-usable and disposable; and at least oneset of user instructions. Other garments may be included. Footwear withcharcoal system 100 may be manufactured and provided for sale in a widevariety of sizes and shapes for a wide assortment of applications. Uponreading this specification, it should be appreciated that, underappropriate circumstances, considering such issues as design preference,user preferences, marketing preferences, cost, structural requirements,available materials, technological advances, etc., other kit contents orarrangements such as, for example, including more or less components,customized parts, different color combinations, parts may be soldseparately, etc., may be sufficient.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a flowchart 550 illustrating a method of use500 for footwear with charcoal system 100 according to an embodiment ofthe present invention of FIGS. 1-4.

Method of using (method of use 500 for) footwear with charcoal system100 preferably comprises the steps of: step one 501 locating at leastone re-usable liner 150 comprising active charcoal 154; step two 502wrapping re-useable liner 150 around foot 194 of wearer 190; step three503 fastening re-useable liner 150 around foot 194 of wearer 190; stepfour 504 inserting foot 194 into footwear (foot garment 180); step five505 wearing at least one foot garment 180, each of foot garment(s) 180comprising foot garment assembly 102 having the liner 150 comprisingactive charcoal 154 to reduce exposure to bacteria and fungi on foot194; step six 506 removing foot garment(s) 180 after a wearer-definedduration; and step six 506 un-fastening liner 150 comprising activecharcoal 154 from foot 194 after wearer-defined duration.

It should be noted that the steps described in the method of use can becarried out in many different orders according to user preference. Theuse of “step of” should not be interpreted as “step for”, in the claimsherein and is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112,¶6. Upon reading this specification, it should be appreciated that,under appropriate circumstances, considering such issues as designpreference, user preferences, marketing preferences, cost, structuralrequirements, available materials, technological advances, etc., othermethods of use arrangements such as, for example, different orderswithin above-mentioned list, elimination or addition of certain steps,including or excluding certain maintenance steps, etc., may besufficient.

The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary andnumerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readilyenvisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which areintended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention.Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially thescientist, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiarwith patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from acursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure ofthe application.

What is claimed is new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent isset forth in the appended claims:
 1. A footwear with charcoal systemcomprising: a footwear garment assembly having; a sole; an inner layer;an outer layer forming an outsole and an upper; a middle layer; and atleast one liner comprising charcoal; wherein said inner layer, saidouter layer, and said middle layer in combination form a foot garmentfor wear; wherein said sole provides cushioning for a foot when wearingsaid foot garment; wherein said inner layer is located adjacent saidfoot of a wearer when said foot garment is worn; wherein said linerwraps around said foot of a wearer thereby creating a large surface areaof coverage of said charcoal, and is removably-fastened via at least onefastener to said foot and said foot garment; and wherein said footgarment and said liner comprising said charcoal in combination form saidfootwear garment assembly useful for minimizing odors and moisturereleased from said foot during active use and promoting good health ofsaid foot.
 2. The footwear with charcoal system of claim 1 wherein saidfootwear with charcoal system further serves to reduce exposure tobacteria and fungi on said foot.
 3. The footwear with charcoal system ofclaim 2 wherein said foot garment comprises at least one sandal.
 4. Thefootwear with charcoal system of claim 2 wherein said foot garmentcomprises at least one boot.
 5. The footwear with charcoal system ofclaim 2 wherein said foot garment comprises at least one shoe.
 6. Thefootwear with charcoal system of claim 1 wherein said charcoal isactive.
 7. The footwear with charcoal system of claim 1 wherein saidliner is replaceable and disposable, thus eliminating the need for saidwearer to don socks.
 8. The footwear with charcoal system of claim 7wherein said fastener comprises at least one adhesive.
 9. The footwearwith charcoal system of claim 8 wherein said adhesive comprises at leastone peel-away protective sheet to protect said adhesive when not in-use.10. The footwear with charcoal system of claim 1 wherein said liner isre-useable.
 11. The footwear with charcoal system of claim 10 whereinsaid re-useable said liner is able to be securely attached to said innerlayer of said footwear assembly.
 12. The footwear with charcoal systemof claim 10 wherein fastener comprises at least one hook and loopfastener system.
 13. The footwear with charcoal system of claim 10wherein fastener comprises at least snap.
 14. The footwear with charcoalsystem of claim 1 wherein said liner comprises natural materials. 15.The footwear with charcoal system of claim 14 wherein said naturalmaterial is selected from the group consisting of cotton, linen, wool,leather, and rubber.
 16. The footwear with charcoal system of claim 1wherein said liner comprises synthetic materials.
 17. The footwear withcharcoal system of claim 16 wherein said synthetic material is selectedfrom the group consisting of plastic, polyester, nylon, latex, andsilicone gel.
 18. A footwear with charcoal system comprising: a footweargarment assembly having; a sole; an inner layer; an outer layer formingan outsole and an upper; a middle layer; and at least one linercomprising charcoal; wherein said inner layer, said outer layer, andsaid middle layer in combination form a foot garment for wear; whereinsaid sole provides cushioning for a foot when wearing said foot garment;wherein said inner layer is located adjacent said foot of a wearer whensaid foot garment is worn; wherein said footwear with charcoal systemfurther serves to reduce exposure to bacteria and fungi on said foot;wherein said foot garment comprises at least one shoe. wherein saidcharcoal is active; wherein said liner is replaceable and disposable,thus eliminating the need for said wearer to don socks; wherein saidliner comprises natural materials; wherein said fastener comprises atleast one adhesive; and wherein said adhesive comprises at least onepeel-away protective sheet to protect said adhesive when not in-use;wherein said liner wraps around said foot of a wearer thereby creating alarge surface area of coverage of said charcoal, and isremovably-fastened via at least one fastener to said foot and said footgarment; wherein said foot garment and said liner comprising saidcharcoal in combination form said footwear garment assembly useful forminimizing odors and moisture released from said foot during active useand promoting good health of said foot.
 19. The footwear with charcoalsystem of claim 18 wherein said footwear garment material is selectedfrom the group consisting of natural fabrics of leather, fabric, andrubber.
 20. A method of using footwear with charcoal comprising thesteps of: locating at least one re-usable liner comprising activecharcoal; wrapping said re-useable liner around a foot of a wearer;fastening said re-useable liner around said foot of said wearer;inserting said foot into said footwear; wearing at least one footgarment, each of said foot garment(s) comprising a foot garment assemblyhaving said liner comprising said active charcoal to reduce exposure tobacteria and fungi on said foot; removing said foot garment(s) after awearer-defined duration; and un-fastening said liner comprising activecharcoal from said foot after said wearer-defined duration.